Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a

Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a (ASWJ) was a Sufi paramilitary group in Somalia that was active from 1991 to 2018. The group was formed by moderate Sufis who were opposed to radical Islamist groups such as al-Shabaab, and it fought to prevent strict sharia and Wahhabism from being imposed. It also aimed to protect the local Sunni-Sufi traditions and generally moderate religious views. During the Somali Civil War, the ASWJ was allied with Mohamed Farrah Aidid's forces, and it grew to have 5,000 fighters during the 2000s, allying with the Somali government, the Raskamboni Movement, and the AMISOM peacekeepers.